Vocation

AP SCERT/ NCERT Grade 6 English Honeysuckle 
Poem – Vocation

Working with the poem

1. Your partner and you may now be able to answer these questions.

(i) Who is the speaker in the poem? Who are the people the speaker meets? What are they doing?

The speaker of the poem is a school-going child. Every day he happens to meet the hawker who sells bangles, the gardener who digs the garden and a watchman who keeps a close watch on the streets the whole night.

(ii) What wishes does the child in the poem make? Why does the child want to be a hawker, a gardener, or a watchman? Pick out the lines in each stanza, which tell us this.

The child in the poem has an innocent mind. He watches all the people around him keenly. He strongly wishes he could lead his life his own way and enjoy freedom just as a hawker, a gardener or a watchman.

On his way to school, he sees a bangle seller shouting "Bangles!" with no rush. He wishes to be a carefree hawker too.

The boy sees a gardener digging, getting dirty in the sun or rain. He wishes to be a gardener free from scolding.

The boy watches a watchman in the dark with a lantern, never sleeping. He dreams of walking the night, chasing shadows with a lantern.

(iii) From the way the child envies the hawker, the gardener and the watchman, we can guess that there are many things the child has to do, or must not do.

Make a list of the dos and don’ts that the child doesn’t like. The first line is done for you.

The child must...............                     The child must not 

come home at a fixed time.                 get his clothes dirty in the dust.

Now add to the list your own complaints about the things you have to do, or must not do.

The child must	The child must not
Go to school on time	Waste his time unnecessarily
Obey his parents and teachers	Be ill-mannered or rude in behaviour
Go to school every day	Get baked in the sun or wet in the rain
Wake up early in the morning	Walk on the dark and lonely streets at night

(iv) Like the child in the poem, you perhaps have your own wishes for yourself. Talk to your friend, using “I wish I were…”

I wish I were a painter, making colors dance on my canvas. No rules, just strokes of art. Or a chef, whipping up tasty dishes, and no one scolding if I make a mess. But most of all, a traveler exploring the world's wonders, no need to rush back.